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"The similarities are obvious: both are wide receivers, both were
signed by the Giants as undrafted free agents out of UMass and both are from New
Jersey. But while Paterson native Victor Cruz made the quantum leap to NFL star
last season, rookie Julian Talley -- and Winslow native -- is just beginning.
The two are friends and Talley said the two are similar in their skill sets --
he, like Cruz, likes lining up in the slot -- but he's also trying to make a
name for himself.

Like Victor Cruz, you're a wide receiver out of UMass. Cruz impressed
quickly when he arrived. How has the transition been for you?

I'm definitely trying to step it up a little bit. The older guys have done a
great job of showing me things and helping me come along, but I feel like I've
come along and things are starting to click for me in the whole offense and I'm
very excited going into training camp.
In what ways have things
started clicking for you?

Just knowing the playbook. Knowing where I'm supposed to be, the timing. Not
thinking so much now, just reacting.

You only got to practice a couple times with Hakeem Nicks, but how
has it been different without him on the practice field?

The veteran guys come in and do a good job of stepping in for guys who are
not able to go at this time so I think they're just doing a good job out there.
Eli and them are on the same page so we'll see. It's definitely tough, we're
missing him right now, but he'll be all right and hopefully he'll be back
soon.
Do you feel like you're getting enough reps to make an
impression?

The coaches do a good job of spreading the reps out. Everybody's getting a
fair opportunity and we're all just trying to take
advantage.
People say rookie wide receivers have the toughest
transition to the pros.What's the most difficult adjustment for
you?

You hear it all the time, from high school to college, college to the NFL:
it's about the adjustment to the speed of the game and doing the little detailed
things, the little fundamentals. You really got to stress those and if you get
those down, you'll be successful.
It looks like you've been stuck
carrying Victor Cruz's helmet?

That was pretty much understood. He has me carrying his helmet. He's been
here, done that and that's kind of his little way of hazing me as we go along so
it's all fun.

The
guy who used to catch pass from the two-time Super Bowl MVP may have gone out of
bounds when he pumped up the mercurial Cowboy at Eli’s expense, even if he got
his divisions mixed up in the process.

Really. Manning has been dissed
before by ex-mated such as Tiki Barber but . . . e tu, Amani?

“Tony Romo
is probably -- if you look at him statistically – he’s probably the best
quarterback in the NFC East,” Toomer said as co-host with Tim Ryan on ‘Move the
Chains’ on SIRIUS radio. “I mean, you look at Eli Manning and what he does in
the fourth quarter. But you talk about consistency . . . talk about 31
touchdowns and only 10 interceptions. That guy can play.”

Ryan then
agreed with the Romo love but opined that Manning is still the best QB in the
NFC East. Toomer held firm.

“OK, that’s fair,” Toomer acknowledged. “But
I’m talking about, for me, if I wanted a guy that is going to throw (fewer)
interceptions and be more productive, higher completion percentage, I’m going to
go with Tony Romo.”

“I want a guy who is dropping dimes at crunch time,”
Ryan countered.

“At crunch time he’s not as good as Eli but every other
time he’s pretty darn good,” Toomer said.

Later, Toomer acknowledged he
forgot Manning played in the NFC East (huh?) but added, “I stand by what I
said.”

Manning, in the opinion of many, made the jump to the elite level
in 2011 when he threw 29 TDs against 16 interceptions for a QB rating of 92.9,
still less than Romo’s 102.5. Romo, however, failed to lead the Cowboys into the
playoffs and that is where Manning has Romo by a big margin over the course of
their careers. That includes their only post-season meeting in the 2007 meeting
when Manning’s Giants knocked off the No. 1-seeded Cowboys in
Irving.

Toomer’s comments sparked immediate reaction on
Twitter.

Giants PR czar Pat Hanlon asked, “QB or golfer?”

Giants
DB Terrell Thomas tweeted, “Man toomer my dog and a great giant, helped me a lot
as a young rook but aint no way romo better then Eli...both good QB’s but...
Well”

Added Giants DE Osi Umyiora, “"They will be Booing my guy toomer at
Giants stadium. That we can agree on”

It should just add to the buildup
when Romo and Manning collide on opening night.

"When running back Tiki
Barber announced his plans to retire during the 2006 NFL season, many
fans were left stunned at his timing. He was still at the top of his game and
appeared to have several years left ahead of him. However, a poor relationship
with head coach Tom
Coughlin was more than the Pro Powler cared to handle in his remaining
years, so he opted to step away from the game and pursue a career in
broadcasting.

Although a bit bitter that he left due to several disagreements with the
coach, fans accepted Barber's decision to retire, expressed their gratitude and
wished him well. It wasn't until August of 2007, when Barber criticized
quarterback Eli
Manning's "lack of leadership" on National television, saying his pre-game
speeches were "almost comical", that the bridge began to burn.

That bridge was ultimately reduced to ashes over the next several years as
Barber continued to criticize Manning (despite a championship) and former coach Tom
Coughlin, who Barber felt tried to "vilify him."

However, while watching highlights of seasons past over the weekend,
defensive end Osi
Umenyiora decided it's time for the fans to forgive Barber and to simply
respect what the man did for the team. He made a simple plea, via Twitter, for
Big Blue faithful to let bygones be bygones.

While fans will acknowledge Barber's talent and contributions to the team,
many refuse to forgive the running back and a plea from Umenyiora will not
likely change that. The vast majority insist on a public apology from Barber,
and anything short of that will only continue to result in boos."http://www.giants101.com/

"If you play in the NFL, and you go about your offseason business—that time in
between New Year’s day (for non-playoff teams) and the start of preseason camp
in late July—by actually taking significant amounts of time off from the game,
chances are you’re not one of the truly elite players in the League. There are
exceptions, of course, and plenty of guys spend their free time away from
training centers, film rooms and athletic environments, choosing instead to hit
up the party scene or lounge by the pool or whatever it is professional athletes
do to relax these days. There’s another portion of the NFL populace that, once
the final whistle blows on game 16, spends every waking moment of every day
tirelesslyworking to become a better player. Some of these guys are just wired
that way, and it’s quite impressive.

Most Super Bowl winning teams, at least theoretically, should be composed
largely of the latter category, and while it’s near impossible to calculate with
any measure of accuracy a percentage of hard working players, I’d bet there are
few players on the Giants roster who don’t qualify.

To reiterate: the offseason matters…a lot. With training camp fast
approaching, and the regular season beginning to creep into our late summer
calendars, we’re reaching a crucial juncture where offseason training—what you
do when you’re not at team facilities working with team-affiliated personnel and
coaches at team facilities—starts to matter more than any other time. For some
players, especially those fighting to get under that contract weight barrier or
finishing up rehab on a nagging injury, these last few weeks before minicamp are
hugely important; others, not as much. In my mind, one player on Big Blue’s
roster really needs to hit it out of the park in workouts and pre-camp
preparations over the next few weeks, and it might surprise some of you: Ahmad Bradshaw. The rationale for my decision might not be so
obvious, so I’ll try and explain my thinking.

The Giants’ lack of running back depth is, by all accounts, a big problem.
While the offense survived last season largely on the back of Eli Manning’s remarkable consistency, there’s little doubt the
running game factored largely in Big Blue’s Super Bowl run. Brandon Jacobs and Bradshaw, the Giants’ two primary backs last
season, combined for 155 rushing yards in the wild card round win against
Atlanta, 85 in the division round win against Green Bay, 87 in the championship
round against San Francisco and 109 in the Super Bowl win over New England.
While the division and championship round games don’t project quantifiable
evidence of a run-heavy game plan, minimizing the run game’s impact in the two
hard-fought contests would be to overlook how it facilitated the passing game.
Eli is an elite quarterback, run game notwithstanding, but so much of his
success is contingent upon deceiving opposing defenses at the line of scrimmage
by hinting at the run. The threat a viable running game poses forces defenses to
stack the box with extra defenders, which opens up space for Eli and his
targets. With Bradshaw and Jacobs, as effective a one-two running back do as
you’ll see in today’s league, Big Blue’s running game was not only viable, but
formidable, often imposing its will on the opposition in demoralizing and
unstoppable ways.

Running the ball remains pertinent to the Giants’ title defense effort, and
without Jacobs, who in four postseason games last year rushed four 164 yards on
37 attempts, the ground game—which ranked last among NFL teams last season—longs
for a replacement of similar worth. As it stands, the Giants simply cannot
replace Jacobs. To quote a favorite movie of mine, (Moneyball): Oakland
Athletics’ general manager Billy Beane (Brad Pitt): “Guys, you’re still trying
to replace Giambi. I told you we can’t do it. We can’t do it. What we might be
able to do is recreate him.” Not that the New York football Giants are
a money-strapped, small market baseball team that suddenly needs to exploit
market ineffeciences to win football games, but there’s a striking
parallel here. Jacobs, like it or not, does not exist on the Giants’ current
roster, meaning offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride will need to find ways to
replace not Jacobs himself—remember, “We can’t do it”—but his production.

One thing’s for sure, it won’t be easy, especially not when, outside of Danny
Ware, a career backup himself, Big Blue’s running back core is constituted
mostly of unproven young players, none of whom fit Jacobs’ mold or niche.

Which brings me back to Bradshaw, and his pivotal role in the Giants’
offensive attack this season. He’s Big Blue’s only proven back, yet he’s always
functioned best in a part-time role. Don’t get me wrong: Bradshaw can tote the
rock and has been Big Blue’s bellcow back for the past two seasons. But he’s
always been most comfortable with a partner, or even two—does Derrick Ward ring a bell? It’s not that Bradshaw isn’t talented
or well-rounded enough as a runner to take on a Peterson/MJD/Foster-like
workload, rather that his body simply won’t allow it. He missed four games with
a foot injury last season and slashed his workload towards the end of the
regular season to stay fresh for the playoffs. He underwent a procedure during
the offseason and is expected to be 100% by training camp.

That’s all well and good, but showing up at training camp healthy and
remaining healthy for an entire season are two entirely different things. It’s
certainly possible that Bradshaw plays all 16 games injury free; it’s also
possible he reinjures himself week 1. Injuries, like taxes, death or any other
absolute, unavoidable truth inhering the lives of NFL players, are
inescapable—they happen, often times when you least expect, even to the most
physically fit, well-prepared players. So no, Bradshaw can’t do anything to
guarantee his good health throughout a 16-game season. What he can do is rehab,
train and work his foot into the best shape possible before and throughout
preseason camp. This is something that needs to be done now, and while there’s a
fair chance his foot problems will resurface irrespective of what he does in
rehabilitation, anything he can accomplish now will help him in the latter
stages of the season, when the week-to-week grind is more likely to cause
injuries.

Needless to say, an injured Bradshaw, given the lack of experience and depth
at running back, all but kills Big Blue’s run game, meaning he, perhaps more
than any other player this side of Eli Manning, needs to stay healthy. A
productive offseason is unequivocally the most logical path towards that
end."GIANTS' TRIVIA CORNER FOR THURSDAY

"Tuesday’s question:Which of the below Notre
Damers was not selected by the Giants in the first round of the NFL
Draft?

The answer…..Justin Tuck, who was taken by the Giants in the
third round of the 2005 NFL Draft. The Giants did not have a first round pick
that year – it was part of the deal that yielded Eli Manning the year before, so the Giants only had four
selections in ’05.

In the second round that year, the Giants chose LSU CB Corey Webster. They followed with Tuck in the third,
RB Brandon Jacobs in the fourth and DE Eric
Moore two rounds later. Webster and Tuck are still with the club;
Jacobs just left vis free agency and Moore has been bouncing around after
getting released by the Giants in 2006. He played two games for the Patriots
last season.

Eric Dorsey was selected by the Giants with the 19th pick in
the first round of the 1986 draft. He played six seasons for the Giants and
collected two Super Bowl rings. He recordedjust seven sacks during his time in
Blue.

In 1992, the Giants made TE Derek Brown(right) the 14th
overall selection in the draft. Of all of the Giants’ draft picks in the
post-merger era, you’d have to agree that this may have been their biggest
misfire at the draft table. Brown only played three years for the Blue catching
a mere eleven passes for 87 yards in 45 games played.

Luke Petitgout was the Giants’ first round selection in the
1999 draft. Unlike Dorsey and Brown before him, Petitgout was reliable and
productive, starting 106 games over eight seasons for the Giants. He was
released in 2007 after a broken leg cut his 2006 season short and finished his
career with Tampa Bay.

"The 2012 season is about two months
away, and it’s a perfect time to rank NFL players by
position. A combination of factors such as stats, overall performance, etc.,
determine where players are ranked. Analysis will be added very soon, I just
wanted to get these rankings done first.*Player ages are how old they will be on
September 5th, NFL Kickoff date.

"Adrian Tracy didn’t really have that much hype
surrounding him when the Giants drafted him in the later rounds of the 2010 NFL
Draft.

He played defensive end at the College of William and
Mary in Williamsburg, Va.—a school known more for its academic prowess than its
sports program.

After two years as mainly a practice player, Tracy is
actually getting some attention this offseason as a viable candidate along the
Giants defensive front. Of course, it would be in a reserve role since the
Giants currently employ Justin Tuck and Jason Pierre-Paul, not to mention Osi
Umenyiora.

But once Dave Tollefson signed with the Oakland Raiders,
Tracy’s role automatically increased. The Giants experimented with using him at
linebacker, but his main spot is defensive end, and hopefully he can settle into
a rhythm of seeing a handful of snaps each game.

Why is this such a big deal for me?

Well, I graduated in 2010 with Tracy from William and
Mary. We were actually in a few classes together as well as Kinesiology
majors.

He was a beast for the Tribe’s defensive front, but
Colonial Athletic Association football isn’t exactly the NFL, let alone the
extremely tough NFC East.

It’s definitely cool to see Tracy get some of the
spotlight, and I wish him the best. We’re not expecting him to immediately break
into the starting lineup, but having a solid reserve player like Tracy will keep
the defensive front fresh.

"Is it hard to quantify a 27 year old as a
possible breakout candidate? Maybe. In the case of Domenik Hixon though, its not so far-fetched. Hixon has
only played in two games the past two seasons due to torn ACL’s and will be 28
years old this season. He has been prominently used as a kick returner since the New York Giants claimed him on waivers back in 2007, however this season may be the
time to prove himself as a receiving option.

We all know that the Giants are looking
for more options behind the big two at wide receiver. Hixon actually started
seven games back in 2008 catching 43 balls for 596 yards and a couple of
touchdowns. Out of all the other options, Eli Manningprobably has the best rapport with Hixon, mainly because he’s been there the
longest. In a lot of ways, that really does count for something. Hixon isn’t
going to make a pro bowl as a receiver, but he’s a good depth player.

If he’s gonna make a pro bowl anywhere, it
may be as a returner. In 2009, he had over 1200 yards on kick returns. The
Giants are looking for a returner, especially on punts where it seems like it’s
been a revolving door of people for the past few years. Aaron Ross had been the guy on punt returns, but he
signed with the Jacksonville
Jaguars.

"Is it that time again? Like getting an oil change or visiting the dentist, we
were about due for a story in which New York Giants
quarterback Eli Manning was
underappreciated.

On Thursday, it came courtesy of former Manning teammate Amani Toomer, who
told SiriusXM NFL Radio that Dallas Cowboys star Tony Romo is the
best quarterback in his division. (Never mind that Manning delivered Toomer his
only Super Bowl ring, in the 2007 season.)

"Tony Romo is probably -- if you look at him statistically -- he's probably
the best quarterback in the NFC East," Toomer said. "I mean, you look at Eli
Manning and what he does in the fourth quarter. But you talk about consistency
-- talk about 31 touchdowns and only 10 interceptions. That guy can play.

"For me, if I wanted a guy that is going to throw less interceptions, (be)
more productive, higher completion percentage, I'm going to go with Tony Romo.
At crunch time, he's not as good as Eli, but every other time, he's pretty darn
good."

It's fairly evident that Toomer was attempting to compliment Romo rather than
insult Manning, but his logic is way off. Manning -- beyond his Super Bowl
heroics and late-game prowess -- was a fine statistical player last season,
putting up 29 touchdown passes, just 16 interceptions, nearly 5,000 passing
yards and a passer rating of 92.9.

For Romo, this is the exact type of story that makes his life difficult. It
leaves him wide open for easy criticism and creates storylines that shouldn't
even exist. A tweet from Giants PR man Pat Hanlon is our case in point."

Along with Strahan, the other two finalists are Seth Meyers of "Saturday
Night Live" and singer Josh Groban. Strahan has been as a guest host on the show
previously, including last week when his
"Magic Mike" stripper dance went viral.

"The current video replay system was implemented in 1999 and it has gone
through tweaks. A couple more will be revealed this season. One change will be
that all turnovers will be subject to review by the replay booth. The second
will be much more obvious -- and probably enjoyable -- to fans in stadiums. All
NFL stadium video boards now will show the exact same replay the lead official
is viewing under the hood on the sideline video monitor.

“They’ll see the exact same angles at the exact same time as he does,’’
Atlanta Falcons president and NFL competition committee chairman Rich McKay told
Pat Yasinskas of ESPN.com.

That’s a positive for fans because they didn’t always have that vantage
point. Prior to this year, it was up to individual home teams to show as much or
as little replay as they wanted.

“I think this is another example of the
league listening to its fans about what they want from the in-game experience,’’
McKay said. “I think throughout this edition of replay, the league, the teams
and our broadcast partners have done a nice job of using the available
technology to make the game better and make the experience better for the
fans.’’

"Jets coach Rex Ryan dumped the idea of having captains after putting a “C” on
players’ chests for the first time last season, Brian Costello of the New
York Post reports. It ended up blowing up with Santonio Holmes, a captain,
fighting with another captain, Mark Sanchez, and the team’s chemistry becoming a
focal point when the 8-8 season was analyzed.

This year, Ryan is ditching the captains. Players say the lack of named
leaders has had little effect. Some believe it enables everyone to feel like a
leader, rather than just the few who were chosen.

“I think in a situation like that where there are no captains named, it kind
of forces guys to step up and take ownership,” guard Matt Slauson said, “and
guys like Brandon [Moore] have done a phenomenal job with that. Mark [Sanchez]
has done a phenomenal job, obviously. Those are just the offensive guys. It kind
of forces those guys to step up and all the rest of us respect them even more
because that ‘C’ is not just given to them.”

Ryan selected Holmes, Sanchez, Moore, Eric Smith, Sione Pouha and Darrelle
Revis as captains last year. Holmes seemed emboldened by having the “C” on his
chest, referencing it several times while making remarks critical of some
teammates. His implosion at the end of the season forced Ryan to reconsider the
idea of captains. Instead of embarrassing Holmes by stripping him of the title,
he did away with the idea completely."

JAWORSKI SAYS FLACCO HAS THE NFL'S STRONGEST ARM
"ESPN’s Ron Jaworski spent a big chunk of the offseason watching every minute
of game tape for each NFL starting quarterback, and has spent the past month
ranking them and then breaking them down for “SportsCenter.”

On Monday, Jaworski revealed his ninth-ranked quarterback entering the 2012
season: Baltimore’s Joe Flacco. And while praising the fifth-year Ravens QB, he
said that Flacco has the strongest arm in the league, Matt Vensel of the Baltimore
Sun reports.

"That's Flacco's No. 1 attribute," said Jaworski, who made 143 career NFL
starts. "I get so tired of hearing how arm strength is overrated. It's far more
important than people think. He has the strongest arm in the NFL."

"The element always overlooked by those who minimize arm strength is the
willingness of quarterbacks like Flacco to pull the trigger,” said Jaworski, who
played for four teams, most notably the Eagles. “Few recognize that because
there is no quantifiable means by which to evaluate throws that are not made by
quarterbacks with lesser arm strength. It's all about dimensions.”

Jaworski said “there are very few quarterbacks in the NFL with the pure
throwing ability of Joe Flacco.” So why isn’t Joe higher on the list? He feels
“his production does not always match his skill set.”

“Never argue with an idiot. They will only bring you down to their level and beat you with experience.” MB Rule # 1

Re: NEWS, NOTES, RUMORS, AND GOSSIP: JULY 5, 2012 - 112:10 P.M.

Thanks, RF. I agree about Hixon's potential to be a key cog in the Giants' machine. Not only has he been our best returner in recent years, he's been a solid receiver when called upon. Let's just hope his knees hold up.

Re: NEWS, NOTES, RUMORS, AND GOSSIP: JULY 5, 2012 - 112:10 P.M.

[quote user="Jiffy Jeff"]Thanks, RF. I agree about Hixon's potential to be a key cog in the Giants' machine. Not only has he been our best returner in recent years, he's been a solid receiver when called upon. Let's just hope his knees hold up.[/quote]

[Y]

“Never argue with an idiot. They will only bring you down to their level and beat you with experience.” MB Rule # 1